SEASON SNAPSHOT

2023 Schedule

Aug. 25—vs. Milton

Sept. 1—vs. Montgomery

Sept. 9—at CMVT

Sept. 15—vs. Cowanesque Valley

Sept. 22—vs. Canton

Sept. 29—at Sayre

Oct. 6—at Muncy

Oct. 13—at Wellsboro

Oct. 20—at Hughesville

Oct. 27—vs. Northwest also was young up front and in the secondary. Now all those units are stacked with returning starters, while some exciting newcomers join the mix. Time will tell how it plays out, but the Mounties certainly are ahead of the curve in terms of development entering the season opener against Milton.

“We’re light years ahead of where we were at this time last year. People don’t realize that when we went down to Milton a year ago, 80% of our defense was new,” Eiswerth said. “These guys have a lot of goals. They would like to have a successful campaign. If that entails making a run or doing some things we haven’t done the last couple of years, that’s the goal.”

South has done quite a lot over the last decade, becoming a perennial title contender and capturing five league champi- onships. The Mounties, though, are seeking their first district title since 2014 after coming close in 2020 and reaching the semifinals the past two seasons.

They have a good group with which to pursue those goals. That backfield which was so green around the edges last year now has all but one starter back. Amir Kemrer, built like a tank, nearly reached 1,000 yards last season and fullback Ryan Casella made a fabulous transition from guard, topping 700 yards.

Garrett Cooley made some nice strides in the backfield late in the season and Kaiser Kistner is a player who could make a key impact. Kistner is a threeyear starter at linebacker but may be poised to assume a more offensive role this season as well.

Quarterback Radley Knapp also is a returning starter and held his own against some strong teams last season, not throwing an interception in 95 attempts. Knapp concluded his season by completing 11 of 18 passes against Canton’s nasty defense and developed a good chemistry with returning receivers Landyn Gephart and Dylan Scheller. Tadd Lusk backs up Knapp and also is a quality playmaker who South could use at other positions as well.

“Radley and Tadd both got some time last year and Rad started and now we’re working on the finer points,” Eiswerth said. “We’re doing things now that we couldn’t do at this time last year. We

SUN-GAZETTEFILEPHOTO couldn’tgettothosethingsuntil laterintheseasonandthen thingsreallystartedfallinginto place.”

Afterrushingfor929yards lastfall,AmirKemrer(22)will looktobreak1,000onthe groundthisseason.

Gephartbecameaneffective playeratmovingthechains, whileSchellershowedsomebigplayabilityasasophomore,averaging21.4yardspercatch. South’sbacksoftenplayakey roleinthepassinggameaswell andCalebNeidigcouldbeanintriguingplayertowatch.

Ithelps,too,havingalotof friendspavingthewayupfront. Southhasbuiltitswinningtraditionuponstellaroffensiveline playandhasapotentblendofexperience,strengthandsizethis season.ChrisConfer,Paxton Gephart,EvanTortelletand OwenBirdallreturnupfront afterhelpingSouthaverage268 rushingyardspergame.Max WiltonandElijahHarveyareexcitingyoungplayerswhocould playprominentrolesascould CadenHamm.

BenFerriscouldseesome timeupfrontoffensivelyand helpsanchorthedefensiveline, comingoffabreakoutseasonup front.Most,ifnotall,thepreviousoffensivelinemenmentioned alsohaveand/orcouldplaykey rolesdefensivelythisfall.

Casella,KistnerandCooley bringaloadofexperiencetothe linebackingunitwithCasella beingafour-yearstarter.Kistner returnedaninterceptionfora touchdownamonghishighlights andCooleydevelopedintoa weaponagainstboththerunand thepass.

Schellerdevelopedintoanexcellentcornerbackandhisend zoneinterceptionclinchedadra-

•••••••

2022 RESULTS (6-4)

South Williamsport 0, Milton 28

South Williamsport 59, Montgomery 14

South Williamsport 72, CMVT 6

South Williamsport 54, Cowanesque 14

South Williamsport 0, Canton 50

South Williamsport 14, Muncy 21

South Williamsport 20, Wellsboro 0

South Williamsport 16, Hughesville 10 (OT)

South Williamsport 55, Northwest 6 District 4 Class A Semifinals

South Williamsport 13, Canton 42 maticdoubleovertimewinin Week9againstHughesville. LandynGephartalsoplayedwell inthesecondaryandispartofa well-roundedunitwhichcouldbe bolsteredbysomefirst-timecontributors.

AleighaRieppelandPiper Minierbothkickedwelllastyear buttheygraduated.Southhas turnedtoanothersoccerplayer, EvanOgden,andhehasimpressedthroughouttheoffseason. Ogdencouldhelpnotonlyon extrapointsandfieldgoals,but alsowithfieldpossession,showcasingabiglegthusfar.

Southimmediatelywillbe testedinitsopeneragainstMiltonwhichiscomingoffa9-1season.Still,asmuchasSouth wantstowineveryregularseasongame,thereisabiggerpictureinmind.Itcomesinsmall incrementsandtheyknow addingthemupisthewaytoproducesomethingbig.

“Wewanttoimproveandkeep movingforwardeveryday.Every yearsincewe’vebeenhere,we takewhatwehaveandtryto makeittheverybestwecan,” Eiswerthsaid.“It’snoteasybut it’ssuregratifyingwhenyoucan dothat.We’veseengoodgrowth andleadership.That’swhatit’s about,growthandmentoring.”

2022 Leaders

2023 Football Players To Watch

Ryan Casella, LB/RB: An impact player since the first time he took the field at South, Casella is a fouryear starting linebacker who made a smooth transition from the offensive line to fullback last year while helping South continue its winning ways. Casella sets a physical tone on defense and is as effective in pass coverage as he is stuffing the run. The senior leader made 49 solo tackles last season and added three interceptions. He came up especially big in a 16-10 overtime win against Hughesville, intercepting two passes. Casella excelled while starting in the backfield for the first time, running for 784 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. An outstanding blocker, too, Casella was at his best in a 20-0 win against Wellsboro when he ran for a career-high 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Garrett Cooley, LB/RB: Like Casella, Cooley so often appeared to be in the right place at the right time, making things happen against both the run and pass. One of the teamʼs top tacklers, Cooley also intercepted three passes during his breakout junior season and was the only player to intercept Muncy quarterback Branson Eyer, doing so in a Week 6 contest. The senior finished third on the team in tackles and also broke up five passes. His versatility makes Cooley a valuable weapon defensively and he also started earning more offensive carries as the season continued. He came up big in the Hughesville victory, scoring on the gameʼs first series. Over the last three games, Cooley averaged more than five yards per carry, adding depth to a potentially deep and talented backfield this season.

Landyn Gephart, WR/LB: Although South long has featured a run-heavy offense, Gephart helped bring some spice to the passing game during his first year starting. The senior forms a potentially strong duo with Dylan Scheller and caught a team-high 25 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. Gephart has some soft hands and made some impressive catches, including against Canton during the playoffs. He caught 10 passes in two games against one of the stateʼs top defenses and South was 3-0 when Gephart caught a touchdown. With he and Scheller leading the team in catches last year, South has a duo which can help loosen up defenses against the run. Gephart also settled in defensively and can play either linebacker or in the secondary.

•••••••

PASSERATCMINYDSTD

Radley Knapp955407018

RUSHERATYDSTD

Amir Kemrer8492910

Ryan Casella1137848

Caden Harris766837

Kaiser Kistner5710

RECEIVERRECYDSTD

Landyn Gephart253614

Dylan Scheller91921

Caden Harris7861

Amir Kemrer, RB/LB: Had he not missed one game and Sayre not postponing its season and costing him another, Kemrer likely would have extended Southʼs streak of producing at least 1,000-yard rusher to 11 seasons. The senior averaged more than 100 yards per game, running for a team-best 929 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kemrer is a home run type player, capable of busting a big run whenever he touches the football and also possesses some power. Kemrer showed that in a regular season finale win at fellow district playoff qualifier Northwest, running for a career-high 260 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. He went over 100 yards four times with South winning each game. Kemrer also ran for 95 yards against NTLII champion Muncy and its stingy defense.